Health News. Lots of resources and information

Australia’s recent epidemic of repetitive strain injury is an example of why chronic pain was so poorly treated in the past. Such medical conditions often involve complex combinations of sensory, perceptual, psychological, psychosocial and environmental factors.

RSI leads to pain, depression, financial hardship and to the victims being stigmatised with labels such as ‘kangaroo paw’. Thus, the need had become increasingly obvious for a concerted effort by a closely knit team of interested practitioners to make the right diagnosis and to develop the most effective therapies.

This team concept of several professionals, all with a common interest and expertise, has gained increasing popularity.

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Although terminal cancer pain is a chronic pain, it is not often seen in the majority of pain clinics. This is because most people with terminal cancer pain have a definable end to their pain.

For them, the most appropriate form of therapy is narcotic medication combined with other mind-changing or psychotropic medication which enables them to lead as normal a life as possible.

In some cases, terminal cancer pain can be treated in the same way as non-malignant pain. In other words, it is possible that by using hypnosis, imagery techniques or TENS therapy the pain can be brought to a level at which they can function as normally as possible for as long as possible.

Such cancer pain is usually caused by the tumour growth blocking organs, displacing those organs from their intended position in the body. Or it can come frorh the destruction of bones, organs and other tissues by tumours and/or from a direct attack by the cancer on the nervous system.

One complication of the treatment of certain cancers is the destruction of nervous tissue and other tissue by radiation therapy used in the treatment of cancer.

Cancer pain is often treated in specialised cancer hospitals, though many could be treated at home for much longer periods if appropriate alternative therapies were used.

Professor Kathleen Foley, chief of the pain service of the world’s largest cancer institute, Sloan-Kettering Memorial Hospital, New York, says pain is one of the most feared consequences of cancer.

But, unlike chronic pain, it is readily diagnosable and can be attributed to either the tumour or the treatment methods such as surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy.

She estimates that 25 million people with cancer annually suffer significant pain that is not effectively treated. One-third of those on active treatment, and two-thirds of the 50 million a year who die, experience ‘significant’ pain in their lives.

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Keep your eyes closed. By using your imagination creatively, you can experience the smell and taste of an orange. Picture yourself picking up an orange. Imagine you’re peeling it. As you create the image of an orange, feel yourself peeling it and let yourself see and feel the orange skin on the outside and the soft, white pulp on the inside of the skin. And, as you continue peeling the orange, notice how beautiful and luscious it is. Let yourself smell and touch it. Feel its juiciness. Now think of pulling out one or two of the orange segments with your fingers. Pull out part of the delicious orange and bite into it. Experience how juicy, luscious and flavoursome it is as you imagine taking a deep, deep bite. Let yourself smell and taste the orange in your mouth and on your tongue. Feel the juice and feel the pulp as you think of taking another bite. Now, let yourself smell and taste the orange and notice that it’s absolutely delicious. Let yourself feel how delicious, beautiful and luscious it is. Just the most beautiful, juicy orange imaginable. Absolutely juicy and wonderful! Let yourself taste and smell the juicy orange clearly now as you think of taking another large bite of that delicious, juicy orange.

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Anyone using TENS therapy should be initially assessed by a medical practitioner who will refer them for a number of sessions.

Alternatively, the recommendation may be to hire a unit at the approximate cost of $55 to $85 a month for a sophisticated TENS machine prior to purchasing a unit.

Most insurance companies, and the Transport Accident Commission of Victoria, will purchase a TENS unit on the recommendation of a doctor or physiotherapist.

Questions most commonly asked about TENS include: /. How recent is the use of electricity to control pain? In the year 54 AD the Romans are reported to have used electric eels for the treatment of headaches and arthritis. There is also even earlier evidence that the ancient Egyptians used the torpedo fish to produce an electric charge to ease pain. For several centuries electricity generated by animals was used in many places throughout the world. However, such treatment then lapsed into disuse for a long time. Electric stimulation regained popularity in modern times when electricity became more readily available.

About one hundred years ago, the use of electricity was very much in vogue for treating almost every kind of complaint. In the 1920′s and 1930′s very crude TENS machines were sold by a number of companies. The subject of TENS then came under the scrutiny of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Because of the many unfounded claims of benefits to be derived from electrical therapy, its use was stopped.

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Diabetes is a shortage of the hormone insulin that controls the level of glucose in the blood. There are two types of diabetes. One form comes on in childhood, and is due to the body forming antibodies against its own cells. In this case, the cells under attack are the islet cells in the pancreas, which produce the insulin. The second type of diabetes comes on in adults, usually those who are overweight, and is probably due to exhaustion of the islet cells, through over consumption of sugar and starch.

It has been suggested that diabetes might be due to food intolerance, but this seems very unlikely. It is possible, however, that immune reactions to food may aggravate any autoimmune disease – a disease in which the immune system attacks the body’s own cells. One such autoimmune disease is systemic lupus erythmatosus. Some patients with this disease fare much better if they are investigated with an elimination diet and treated for reactions to food and other environmental factors – which suggests that these sensitivities may make the underlying disease worse. In the same way, food sensitivity might make the autoimmune type of diabetes worse.

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When the new day dawns, do not hurry agitatedly into the unknown, wondering what new worries it will bring. Try to remember that it has been given to you completely new, to do with it what you will. After all, should we really take it for granted that light and sunshine return day after day for our benefit? So thank your Maker for these important gifts of everyday life, as thankfulness always fills the heart with joy and this happy frame of mind will never nourish the hard-hearted attitude that there is no divine Power interested in our welfare. On the contrary, it will prompt you to express thanks to your Maker for the wonderful gift of light and warmth. Full of joy, your first step in the new day will be a happy one. Whatever problems that arise to worry you can be dealt with more easily; in fact, you will look at them in a different light, giving you a better chance of success, whereas sadness and discontent will rob your time and drain your strength, or they may even lead you into further trouble. Those who begin their day in a happy frame of mind are more likely to end it in the same way.

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Let us now consider the television, an invention that most of us could not imagine being without. This is no exaggeration, for no sooner has it cast its spell than people rush out to buy a set, whether it is necessary or not and whether they have the means or not. Those who can ill afford a television set are often the ones most interested in acquiring this costly form of entertainment come what may.

Let us now examine this desire to be entertained by what we watch on the screen from the point of view of our health. No doubt it is a marvellous invention that can transmit much valuable knowledge and broadcast many important world events. Could one ever forget observing the animals in Kruger National Park? We are amazed at the giant lizards on the Galapagos islands, those surviving animals that give us an idea why legends tell of dragons. Although we may be sitting comfortably in our armchair, television transfers us to those distant shores, making us believe we are actually there, so engrossed do we become in the life of some strange creature. And what about the presentation of a heart operation in a well-equipped modern operating theatre – a gripping experience for anyone who is interested in the human body. Such educational programmes can fill many a gap in our knowledge and give us pleasure and enjoyment. At the same time, moderation is called for if we do not want to run the risk of losing time and control and suffering as a consequence.

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I became aware of the ruthless manner in which some enterprises are conducted through some friends in Guatemala. For years, our contact in that country, a Canadian married to an Indian woman, has produced honey for us. One day, quite unexpectedly, a powerful cotton company established itself in his neighbourhood and began to clear vast forest areas and plant cotton. Without any real necessity, only because of habit, the owners had their cotton plantation dusted, not manually of course, but on the generous lines the Americans are accustomed to, by plane. The finely distributed poison was intended to prevent supposed pests from settling on the cotton plants. It did not worry the commercial giant that various other insects, including bees, were killed as a consequence of their dusting. In fact, our contact lost 300 colonies of bees! Moreover, he was forced by these circumstances to pick up what was left and move to another area.

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Oils and fats do not have a highly complicated chemical formula: on the contrary, they consist of the common elements carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. All fats and oils used for food contain one or more of the three types of fatty acids, the saturated, the unsaturated and the polyunsaturated. If we consume an excess of saturated fatty acids, as found in refined fats and oils, too much energy is required to digest them and for this reason we feel tired and sleepy after a meal.

The saturated fatty acids are chemical compounds that are exceedingly poor in oxygen and their consumption would require us to exercise and breathe deeply – something we feel no inclination to do after eating such foods. These heavy fats, are mainly of animal origin and have a high melting point, while the unsaturated oils occur chiefly in seeds and have a low melting point. Vegetable oils are richer in unsaturated, even highly unsaturated fatty acids. For this reason natural, unrefined oils are better for you than others. Oils with a low melting point are hardened or hydrogenised because transporting and stocking them in bottles is more difficult and costly. So the oil industries prefer the method of hardening because firm slabs of fat can be more easily packed and transported than liquids.

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This juice contains betaine, which stimulates the function of the liver cells and protects the liver and bile ducts in cases of disturb-

ance. Every 100 g of beetroot juice contains 5 mg of iron, in addition to a number of trace elements, which, it is believed, encourage the absorption of the iron in the blood. A healthy body needs plenty of iron, especially in the first two years of life, during puberty, in pregnancy, when breast-feeding and during the menopause. Beetroot juice is highly recommended for these crucial periods of life. If your child is pale, do not forget to give him or her a small glass of beetroot juice before meals every day, morning and evening. In the case of infants (six months to two years) one teaspoonful will suffice.

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